Before the death camps were the killing fields-mass graves of executed men, women and children. The Einsatzgruppen (German word meaning action–groups) became an organized killing machine, roaming through Poland, Ukraine and Belarus, murdering an estimated 1.5 million Jews and partisans, prior to the birth of concentration camps. The Einsatzgruppen were created to combat those considered hostile to the Reich, including Jews, Communists, and others. Father Patrick Desbois, author of Holocaust by Bullets,(his story of discovering mass gravesites of Jews exterminated in the Ukraine) is shown interviewing people in the former USSR to gather information about the mass killings. The documentary is woven together with harrowing testimonials from survivors, witnesses and experts with rare video footage.

Following the documentary Bob Rich, American Red Cross Holocaust Tracing Services-Ventura Chapter, will talk about the tracing services which research the fate of loved ones missing since the Holocaust and its aftermath. The American Red Cross assists U.S. residents searching for information on themselves, family members, and friends regarding: proof of internment, forced/slave labor, or evacuation from Europe and the former Soviet territories. These tracing services are free and involve partner organizations worldwide.

There will be a schmoozing session starting 15 minutes before the meeting, facilitated by JGSCV Board member and JewishGen Managing Director Warren Blatt. Come and talk on your successes or problems.

Our monthly book report will be given by JGSCV member Len Shenkinon "Tough Jews Fathers, Sons and Gangster Dreams". By Rich Cohen.

Our rotating traveling library will have Categories A and C and Holocaust Collection from Category B. To see which books are listed under which category, please go to our website, www.JGSCV.org and look under traveling library. The books are available starting 30 minutes before the program to 30 minutes after the program.

The meeting is co-sponsored with and held at Temple Adat Elohim, Thousand Oaks, CA. For more information including directions to the meeting, see our website for directions and more information: www.jgscv.org

The Jewish Genealogical Society of the Conejo Valley and Ventura County is dedicated to sharing genealogical information, techniques and research tools with anyone interested in Jewish genealogy and family history.

There is no charge to attend the meeting. Anyone may join JGSCV. Annual dues are $25 for an individual and $30 for a family.

1 comment:

I came upon your blog searching on google the history of the family Meisels in prewar Poland. Coincidentally, the writer shares my name, Meisels and the documentary you presented on Yom Hashoa speaks about the manner in which my family and the whole Jewish community perished in eastern Poland and the Ukraine. I was one of the few survivors. I have written about it in my recently published memoir (available on Amazon: "Middle Andzia" by Anda Meisels Rosen.) I have recently sent a copy to Father Dubois.anda@calneva.org